At the end of the trailer which debuted at San Diego Comic-Con, Rick can be seen waking up in a bed sporting a noble grey beard, with many fans believing it indicates the arrival of the ‘A New Beginning’ storyline from the comics which sees an older version of Rick.

Creator Robert Kirkman however has teased we won’t have too long to wait until we discover meaning behind the scene, saying how answers will be revealed in the first episode of season eight.

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Speaking at the Television Critics Association (via Entertainment Weekly) about Old Man Rick, Kirkman said: ‘I’m pretty sure you’ll learn in the first episode what that means.’

He also teased how the shot may not be indicative of a time-jump at all, which will surely enrage speculative forums everywhere.

‘Was it the time jump? I don’t know, maybe it was Rick waking up from his coma. Wouldn’t that be weird?

‘That is an intriguing titbit that we did throw out there on purpose, and we’re hoping that people continue to question how it is that fits into the storyline and what it is.

‘Comic book fans know where a scene that kind of looked like that would fall, but it also doesn’t seem like we would be getting to that just yet if you were a comic book fan, so there’s a mystery to that.’

The first poster for The Walking Dead season 8 (Picture: AMC/Fox)

So what could this mean? An annoying flash-forward tease which is never addressed again until season nine? Let’s hope not.

The Walking Dead season eight is set to air on October 22 on AMC in the US, and on Fox in the UK on October 23.